There have been four attempts to take the park's land for building projects, three of which have been associated with expansion of the United Nations.
1960s proposal By the late 1960s, the United Nations was facing overcrowding at its headquarters complex and was leasing office space in other nearby buildings, but intended to build a new office building to the south of its present site on the block between 41st and 42nd streets. Near the end of 1969, plans were developed for an eight-story office building that would occupy nearly the entire block occupied by the playground, wrapping around the tunnel's ventilation building, and include a bridge across 42nd Street to connect with the remainder of the United Nations complex. To offset the loss of the playground, a new park was to be constructed on pilings above the
East River from 38th to 43rd streets, with the northern portion reserved for the use of the United Nations staff and the southern portion open to the public. Additional office space for the United Nations was eventually added across from its complex on the west side of First Avenue at
One United Nations Plaza and
Two United Nations Plaza, which were completed in 1975 and 1983, respectively.
Late 1970s and early 1980s proposal In 1979, a proposal was made by the city to swap the western portion of the park's land with private parks in
Tudor City, enabling
Harry Helmsley to construct a skyscraper on the site in exchange for converting the private parks in Tudor City into public parks (which Helmsley had planned to develop with buildings). Helmsley had previously proposed a similar type of land swap to build a 50-story apartment building on the city-owned park at the northwest corner of First Avenue and 42nd Street (Ralph Bunche Park), but that plan ran into opposition from community groups and elected officials. The subsequent proposal was approved by the
City Planning Commission but was opposed by a number of groups, including the East End Hockey Association, which had gained the support of Robert Moses in their fight to save the park. Although the proposal was initially supported by Mayor Ed Koch, he changed his mind when appraisals showed that the public parkland was more valuable than the private parks in Tudor City. The land swap proposal was vetoed by the
Board of Estimate in 1981.
2010s proposal The most recent proposal to take the park's land for a building was raised by the United Nations in June 2010. Under this deal, the city would then expand the nearby East River Greenway to compensate for the loss of this park. On December 8, 2010,
Manhattan Community Board 6 gave their support to this plan, providing that the esplanade was expanded. In March 2011, the city gave approval to move ahead with a feasibility study for this project as part of
Mayor Bloomberg's Vision 2020: New York City Comprehensive Waterfront Plan. If agreed by the city and the heads of both houses of the New York State Legislature, the
United Nations Development Corporation could begin preliminary planning for a new office tower, which could be no taller than the tall Secretariat Building. The UN would pay the city at least $65 million for the park. The plan was opposed by some residents of Tudor City, which is across the street from the park. On October 5, 2011, the city and state reached an agreement to use the western portion of Robert Moses Playground for an expansion of the United Nations campus. In exchange, the United Nations Development Corporation would pay $73 million to fund the development of the East River esplanade between 38th and 60th streets. To make up for the loss of parkland, the City would convert
Asser Levy Place into parkland. As of 2021, the new tower was no longer being considered as an option by the UN, which also reneged on its previous promise to fund the extension of the greenway. ==References==